Exclusively for Corporate M&A Professionals
M&A Value Creation Master Class
JANUARY 15, 2027 | LIVE-ONLINE
Aswath Damodaran's highly interactive M&A Master Class starts with an unvarnished look at acquisition performance and presents challenging questions on risk-adjusted returns. The discussion then moves into methods for determining intrinsic target value and approaches for heading off over-paying for acquisitions. Using empirical examples, the course offers practical insights on creating long-term value.
- Identify pitfalls in acquisition modeling to avoid value erosion
- Head off missteps in the financial analysis of a transaction
- Improve your ability to evaluate M&A targets
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST
Section 1: M&A Target Modeling
- Determining intrinsic target value
- Matching cash flows to appropriate discount rates
- Consistent applications of historical risk premiums
- Assessing and avoiding currency mismatches and fluctuations
- Running a beta regression and heading off gaming
- How to bring the risk into the analysis?
- Appropriately estimating equity risk premiums
- Missteps to head off in DCF formulations
(The section timings are subject to change)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 | 12:30 PM - 2:15 PM CST
Section 2: M&A Value Enhancement
- Increasing cash flows from existing assets
- Reinvestments and improving the return on capital
- Extending the duration of cash flow growth
- Reducing the cost of capital
- Avoiding the control premium trap
- Using Economic Value Added as a measure of value creation
(The section timings are subject to change)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 | 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM CST
Section 3: Creating Value Through M&A
- Separating target’s risk characteristics
- Mitigating debt and cost of capital subsidies
- Analyzing true cost and revenue synergy opportunities
- Identifying exit multiples and comparable traps
- Enhancing M&A governance
- M&A value creation principles
(The section timings are subject to change)
Aswath Damodaran Professor of Finance
New York University, Stern School of Business
Professor Damodaran is the author of several highly-regarded and widely-used texts on Valuation, Corporate Finance, and Investment Management. His interests lie in disentangling value drivers and understanding market pricing and behavior.
He has been teaching for the Institute since 2023.
Engineering high-performing transactions
Designed for Corporate M&A Teams
The Institute's M&A Master Classes provide focused, technical deep-dives into critical phases of the transaction process. Each is designed for corporate M&A teams, enabling them to engineer greater structural integrity within specific transaction workstreams.
Credits: 4.75 CLE / 5.50 CPE. The Institute is accredited in Illinois. Reciprocity may be available.
“Fresh and honest perspective. Many of Professor Aswath Damodaran's comments resonated with me and my experiences but rarely have I heard anyone voice it (especially so eloquently)."
Manager
ExxonMobil
Transaction Manager
Pratt & Whitney
Director, Mergers & Acquisitions Finance
Microsoft
Vice President, Corporate Services
Progress Rail
Director, M&A Integration
Worthington Steel
Executive Director of Corporate Development, M&A
JLL
Assistant General Counsel
KONE
Group Head of M&A
Dentsu
Principal, Corporate Development Integration
Vice President of Strategy
Flex
Exclusively for Corporate M&A Professionals
M&A Value Creation Master Class
Friday, January 15, 2027 | Live-online
- Section 1 | 10:00 - 12:00
- Break | 12:00 - 12:30
- Section 2 | 12:30 - 2:15
- Break | 2:15 - 2:30
- Section 3 | 2:30 - 3:30
Exclusively for Corporate M&A Professionals
M&A Academy
SAN FRANCISCO | CHICAGO | NEW YORK
This curriculum-driven program provides structured guidance on engineering the deal process — from target sourcing through closing — to help corporate M&A teams build sound practices to deliver high-performing transactions.